The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-04-15
REVELATIONS BY A BARTENDER.
The Tricks of the Liquor Business.

"I will give you a practical insight
into the mysteries OF our profes sion,
the bartender said to the reporter. "In
the first place, before weg get our liquors
they are saited.'
" Sailed ?" queried the scribe.
"Well, brought down to a certain de-
gree by waters and powders, so that
they have delicate and paLatable flavor.
This system makes the price consider
ably less to us. Then, when we get our
whiskeys and brandies they undergo an
other process.
"So?"
Eyes, we reduce them still further.
For instance, we buy a barrel OF whiskey
which holds forty gallons. From that
we get half as much again. We take
say "a gallon of whiskey and to that we
add quart of water and a quart of
spirits which we buy at 81 25 a gallon"
But that would change The color and
destroy the flavor"
The bartender smiled grimly as he
said: "Oh no, we have remedies for
that. We use chemicals which give a
natural color and consistency, and then
we have powders which impaTt a flavor.
In fact the system is so per eel that men
who profess to be judges Of the real ar
ticle pronounce our liquors perfect
But haven't you "a No. l article for
Sale?' queJied the reporter.
"No; what we sell for No. l Is the su-
perior article blended with Inferior stuff.
For that we charge fifteen cents pony.
The cost to US is about S3 25 gallon"
"Well, = there not a superior quality
of rum Surely that is genuine. You
cannot counterfeit the flavor"
Bless your heart, that is a simple
thing We just take the ordinary cheap
rum, mix a pint of mOlass > to every
gallon, and then add few drops of a Ger
tain chemical we use and we have the
,,Ia t.J .h
which we haveSO often praised is nothing
but the cOmmOnest gin. We simply puta
little Scotch chemical flavor into a bottle
of the article, and we have the real old
Highland whiskey warranted pure"
But your wines; you cannot adulter-
ate those?"
Not all of them. There are some
which we buy so cheap that it is not
worth while to tamper with them. Clar-
ct for instance. French claret we can
buy at twenty-eight cents bottle whole
sale and a cheaper grade costs US twenty
five cents.
1--WE can adulterate port wine which
Is adulterated when we buy it. We mix
quart OF spirits with each gallon, which
many think improves its flavor. Then
to bring it back to its original color
we mix powders with it and we have
genuine first class wine.
4" Sherry wiIe eS / believe are also adul-
terra ell with vinegar, sugar and syrup,
but of that [ know nothing personally.
Il will give yOua practical illustration
of some OF our methods. Here is a four
and half gallon keg, into which l
am going to put three gallo. > of SaIted
whiskey, three quart, Of cheap spirits
and three quarts OF water, and when l
have finished you will have before you
some fine Old BOurbo.l whi7kcy.'
The bartender at this point drew three
gallons Of liquor from ii barrel and then
put 1t into smaller caSk. Then he took
nearly gallon of spirits and three quarts
OF water, and after mixing the two,
poured them into the keg. Then he
drew therefrom glassful of the mixture.
1t did not have either the color or the
flavor OF the genuine article, and the
scribe looked puzzled.
Possess your soul il patience, my dear
boy, and you will see the whole system"
said he professor. Now you observe
this small bottle with tn. dark suhsI auce;
thai costs Us - an ounce. 1t Is both the
flavor and the c,IOr that we put in. 1
take. see, about two tahleepoonfuls AID
put il into the cask. Now [ mix it up"
suiting the ton to the word.
Then the bartender drew = winerlass-
ful Of the article from the keg and the
reporte. was asJOHi he'd. No differences
could be -e II between the Origiuai " his
key and that which had been m3nuIac-
tured.
This we bottle and sell over the bar
at ten cents drink, " said tn bar; euder.
"Aud your Iemf crancc drinks are ur-e
still" he con. inued. Sci zer, or in
ta ce is ma e of water and marble dust
.aryei with acids. One or two glasses
will never uuru nybody, but if you take
it regul Fly il is und to fetch you"
Veil, isn't tn re any pure temp a. &C. }
drink
'.W"ll there Is cider. but even that, in
majority of casts, is mixed with impure
spiiil5 san we Ill il, to prevent Z from
,IrnIls sour '-I y. \. Nal ana Expro -